Alumni Spotlight: Miami Golf’s Brotherhood

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When it came time for Danny Fisher to choose a college, the Lake Forest, Ill. native didn’t have to look far from home.

 

He grew up playing and practicing at the Merit Club, the same golf course as 2018 Miami graduate Patrick Flavin.

 

“[Flavin’s] about four or five years older than me, and he was kind of my idol growing up… seeing him do incredible things in Miami while I was in high school, I was like, man, if I can do that, that would be pretty cool,” Fisher said. 

 

During Flavin’s senior year of playing, he had become Miami’s career victory tournament leader with eight first-place finishes. In his freshman year, he tied for fourth place in the MAC Championship, helping to secure the team title for the Red and White. In the 2017 fall golf season, Flavin won four out of the five fall events, claiming medalist honors in the Wolf Run Intercollegiate, the Louisville Cardinal Challenge, the Windon Memorial Classic and the Dayton Flyer Invitational.

 

“What Miami gave Pat was just the opportunity to learn how to win at a big stage…we haven’t really seen a more decorated player come out of Miami since ‘Flaves,'” said JD Fletcher, Miami’s current head coach and Flavin’s former roommate and teammate.

 

Flavin has been playing professionally since graduating, finding support from his Miami network on and off the course.

 

“I’d say a ton of my sponsorships to help me play professional golf have come from Miami connections. They truly have taken me under their wing and given me the opportunity to play professionally, and I couldn’t be more proud to represent Miami,” Flavin said.

 

Fisher, who went on to serve as Miami team captain for his final two college seasons, also joined the ranks of RedHawk alumni pursuing their dreams of playing professionally after graduating from the program in 2024.

 

“Once JD Fletcher became the coach for my third year, I felt just an extreme level of comfort and somewhat of a responsibility to be a leader on the team,” Fisher said. “It was super fun to kind of push guys to work hard, whether it was in the gym or on the golf course and the classroom.”

 

The competitive golf schedule at Miami helped Fisher transition into playing on stages like the PGA Tour Americas and Korn Ferry Q School.

 

“As a mid-major golf program, you sometimes get into certain tournaments or fields that maybe aren’t the strength that you’re looking for, but at Miami, it never felt that way. We were always playing against Big Ten teams and teams from the South,” Fisher said.

 

“Seeing how I stacked up against good players week-in, week-out was super exciting.”

 

In 2023, Fisher placed second in the MAC Championship. He averaged 71.08 during his final season wearing the Red and White, taking four top-five finishes and tying for fourth in the 2024 MAC Championship to bring the RedHawks to a second-place spot on the podium.

 

Fisher wasn’t the only one to follow in Flavin’s footsteps. Players like Flavin and Brian Ohr, along with former head coach Zac Zedrick, also played a factor in Charlie Nikitas’ decision to play at Miami.

 

“I’d kind of grown up –I don’t know about idolizing; I can’t boost Pat’s ego like that– but I idolized those guys growing up,” the 2021 graduate said.

 

Nikitas tied for second place at the MAC Championship in 2021, averaging 73.78 during his final season of play at Miami.

 

Now, he is four years into his professional career. This past June, Nikitas made his first Korn Ferry Tour cut in his home state of Illinois, where his family was able to attend and cheer him on. To top it off, it was also Nikitas’ birthday that Saturday.

 

“It feels crazy that I’m already four years into a professional career, but I feel like there’s still so much that I have to learn. And each year, I feel like I’ve found new ways to get better and new ways to compete,” Nikitas said.

 

Miami Golf’s brotherhood not only runs deep and shows up at all levels of the sport (Brad Adamonis, Gord Burns and Brian Ohr are among the many other former RedHawks still making a name for themselves many years after leaving Oxford), but the relationships between past Miamians don’t end with a diploma. For example, Flavin and Nikitas currently live a block down the road from each other in Arizona. Now, they –along with Fisher– are gearing up for the PGA Tour Americas in April after the trio earned their cards back for the upcoming season.

 

“It’s pretty incredible to have two of my truly best friends and also Miami guys traveling and playing together. We definitely still operate kind of like a team. I know we’re competing against each other, but I root for those guys like they’re my teammates,” said Flavin.

 

Their bond has played a key factor in Fisher’s career, even early on.

 

“The kindness and friendship and brotherhood that they have shown me has been so amazing in terms of helping me grow and become not only a better golfer, but a better human being,” Fisher explained.

 

“The culture of Miami Golf is really different compared to other schools, and has definitely helped me in terms of keeping my path in the straight and narrow as well as [knowing] guys who will be turning professionally shortly out of the program,” Fisher added, previewing the potential routes of current seniors and captains Cameron Pero, Brett Podobinski and Michael Weber.

 

Miami’s 2026 team spring schedule will tee off Feb. 12 in Lihue, Hawaii, and as the upcoming year unfolds, the RedHawk alums will definitely be keeping tabs on the current squad’s progress just like Miami’s 2025-26 team will continue to follow the pro successes of their predecessors from afar.

 

 “There’s a lot of resources and outlets for all of our guys to go bounce ideas off of and have a little support group of Miami guys that have all turned pro,” said Fletcher.

 

“Miami really prepares you to be a man, have time management skills, use the most of your resources, and we’ve also just put our guys up against the best teams in the country almost every single week,” the fifth-year head coach continued.

 

“That’s how Miami really prepares you for professional golf.”

 

Find more Front Row Features at: MiamiRedHawks.com/FrontRowFeatures

Miami Golf continues its 2025-26 season beginning Feb. 12 at the John A. Burns Intercollegiate in Hawaii. The RedHawks’ spring schedule leads up to the annual MAC Championship, as Miami plays for a trophy May 3-5 in Zionsville, Ind. The complete Miami Golf schedule is available here.